Episode V S : Raiding Tatooine
by SRona58
Summary: Set immediately after ESB. Focusing on Leia as she attempts to locate and rescue Han with the help of Lando, Luke, and the others. What does the Princess do while Han is gone? What is the plan to save him? Plenty of Han/Leia.
1. Opening Crawl

**A/N: Set at the very end of the Empire Strikes Back. Heavily influenced by Leia's world before rescuing Han.**

 **I also have another story up set between A New Hope and the Empire Strikes Back (called The Rebel Retreat). It houses some canon information on Han's background. If you'd like to give it a go, please check my writer profile for the link!**

* * *

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

 **Star Wars**

Episode V S

RAIDERS OF TATOOINE

 _The pursuit of Luke Skywalker continues for Darth Vader, who has lost the young Jedi after confronting him in the carbonite pit on Cloud City. Emperor Palpatine hopes of converting Vader's son and has given direct orders to relocate and capture him. To once again track down Skywalker, the Dark Lord launches several fleets to find the Rebel ship._

 _Lando Calrissian, piloting the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca, sets out in search of General Solo. The desperate attempt at rescuing the Corellian leads them to the desert planet of Tatooine, which Luke once called home. Knowing the territory of the planet well, Luke offers his help in devising a plan to effectively revive Solo._

 _While the rest of the Rebellion focuses on the next step in taking out Lord Vader, Princess Leia Organa is left alone on the frigate. Although she has attempted to keep her head held high to her colleagues, her hopes of finding Han are slowly fading…_


	2. Chapter I

**A/N: Please read and review. More to follow.**

* * *

I

Silence spread through the frigate as Luke held Leia. The two had just watched the Millennium Falcon disappear into space as Lando and Chewbacca took off on their adventure to locate and rescue Han Solo. This would be the first time Leia had been able to think straight since watching Han fall to the bottom of the carbonite pit on Cloud City. Though Luke had his arm around her to support her, she did not feel a bit better. Staring at the _Falcon_ in the distance simply reminded her of Han.

Everything felt cold. Suddenly, Leia couldn't figure out how she had gotten onto the Rebel ship, or how Lando and Chewie had decided to go after Han on their own. She should have gone with them; he wouldn't be safe until she could hold onto him again.

"Leia," she heard Luke whisper softly from her side in an attempt to soothe her.

She didn't want to tell him to stay quiet; it wasn't Princess-like to take her anger out on him, even though she had done it many times before. Right now, she didn't want to listen to anything except for Han's voice in her head, which she was already struggling to hold on to.

"Lando and Chewie know what they're doing," her companion promised. "I can feel it."

No response. Leia couldn't muster up any sort of reply. Part of her wanted to tell Luke she knew she would see him again, but she didn't feel so sure. Another part of her didn't understand how Luke could say such things; she knew he was a Jedi, but she still didn't get how he could rely on nothing but a feeling. Organa decided it would be best to keep her head up and focused on the small dot in space that just barely shone as Han's ship traveled out into space in the distance.

Luke frowned, but knew it wasn't worth pushing her. He could feel Leia's sadness radiating off of her like nothing he had ever felt before. Although he hadn't experienced the full power of the Force just yet, he knew well enough to sense when someone close to him was not okay.

Leia's breathing came in shallowly and slowly. She was focusing on pacing her breaths so she wouldn't think about anything she didn't want to, but it didn't seem to be working well. Luke could sense her distress gathering with every passing second.

At first, Leia was able to block out the images from her head and focus on escaping what was the awful system of Bespin. Then, she had to rescue Luke. After that, she was worried about getting his hand fixed up. Until now, she had kept busy. She had kept her mind elsewhere.

Now, everything came flooding back. She had felt so sure that she and Han would make it out of the struggle in Cloud City. When she held him in the cell Vader had dumped them in as he struggled to regain his strength, she still felt safe in his presence. She couldn't place her finger on it then, but she figured it out not long after. When Han had been brought to the center of the carbonite pit in shackles, she had figured it out. Too late, as she always was, just like with Alderaan. Everything she loved was destroyed by the Empire. Soon, she would see the Rebellion destroy the Empire, and it would still not satisfy her completely.

Han's face had never had so much emotion before. At least, not that Leia knew of. All at once, she regretted fighting with him on Hoth. She regretted their escape to Bespin, when she could have stayed embraced by his kiss, but instead had run in embarrassment. At the time, she hated that she had let such a low life seduce her. Later, she had grown to love his sense of romance; he had touched her and held her and caressed her. He had cared. She didn't see the smuggler side to him then. She never saw it again, until Vader had encased him in his silver prison. She even regretted her snide remarks about Lando, although she had been right from the start. He was Han's friend, or so he thought. She should have valued his opinions, but instead, she had caused tension.

Slowly, tears welled up in her eyes just as they had during the freezing process. In her desperate attempt to make up for it all, she had blurted out that she loved him. His longing kiss wasn't good enough for her; if she had to say goodbye, she had to tell him the truth. In honesty, she had hoped he would tell her he loved her, too. Part of her wondered for a moment if he didn't care for her the same, but she knew that part was the panicked part that figured Han was long gone. The part that hoped there was still a chance to save him screamed that he loved her just as much, if not more. His kiss was enough to say it all. His face as he was dropped into the pit pushed that fear away even further. Leia remembered how he had looked. She remembered how his eyes were wide with terror, even though he was doing his best to keep her and Chewie calm. He secretly showed more fear than he thought he was showing. His intentions were to make Leia feel better, but she read him like an open book. The pain of leaving her alone shone bright in his eyes. The look pierced her and dug deep into her heart. She didn't let her gaze falter until it had happened.

When Han had been shoved to the ground, encased in the silver carbonite, the sound of metal hitting the floor rung louder in her ears than for anyone else in the room. She felt Chewie hold onto her just as hard as she was gripping his arm. She felt bad for a moment about that, but she knew he was feeling just as much sadness and hatred as she was. She knew that even if she tried, that moment would never leave her memory. Han's pained face in that awful frozen liquid would forever haunt her.

The only plus side was that Lando had announced Han was still alive. See-Threepio had ensured her that he would be fine, as long as he survived the freezing process. Thankfully, if they could find him, there was hope.

Finally, Leia let her gaze turn away from the giant window in front of them. She stared at the ground to her right, tilting her head down to hide her tears. She needed a moment to gather herself to she didn't appear weak to the rest of the Rebellion when they rejoined the rest. As far as she knew, they had no information of her romance with the Corellian smuggler, and until Han was safely back in her arms, she wanted to keep it that way.

"Leia," Luke cooed again, feeling her turn away. He lifted his arm off of her and instead tapped her shoulder with his hand, hoping she would spin around to face him.

"I'm fine, Luke," she said steadily.

Luke was impressed with how well she had calmed her voice, but could feel through the Force that she was far from 'fine'.

After a moment, she lifted her head and spoke again. "Vader will be after you," she said, changing the subject. "We need to get the rebellion out of here before he locates us again."

Luke pressed his lips together as Leia spoke. He knew she was right, but right now, he wanted to do whatever he could to help his friend. She would be struggling until she had Han back, and he knew that perfectly. Carefully, he reached out to her using the Force and did his best to calm her down further. When she turned to face him, he knew he had succeeded just a little bit.

Leia smiled briefly, wiping away a tear that had left a wet streak on her right cheek. "Take me to Mon Mothma," she ordered.

 _Nothing like having the old Princess back,_ Luke thought as soon as she demanded they jump back into tactics. He chuckled slightly, but didn't want to overdo it in case Leia was still temperamental. Instead, he offered her his hand and led her through the corridors behind them and up the access ramps to the bunks and central command room of the Rebel fleet.

"Leia," Luke began, guiding her through the silver hallways. "I've been thinking…"

"What, Luke?" she questioned.

"If I can complete my training, I might be more of a help," he told her.

"Your training?" she asked. "Isn't that where you were during our trip to Bespin?"

"Well, yes," he stammered. "But there is still much Yoda has to teach me," Luke clarified.

"Like what?"

"For once," he informed her, "the Jedi have many tricks of persuasion. It could aid us nicely when we need to convince Jabba to hand Han back over."

Leia thought for a moment as they neared the entrance to the command room. She studied the walls of the ship as they walked; everything was cold and silver. Everything reminded her of the carbonite block. She made a mental note to make sure she didn't have to stay in such a colored bunk room.

"Would it help us find his location?" she asked, suddenly expanding the possibilities of Luke's Jedi powers.

"It may," he agreed. "But I must become a Jedi master before we enter something as dangerous as Jabba's palace."

She hated to admit it, but Leia did agree. They had no idea what kind of place Jabba resided at, but it was probably protected by the most dangerous of guards, all of whom were most likely expecting the Rebellion to attempt a theft of Solo.

Leia stepped forward and smiled back at Luke. "Then go," she allowed.

She turned to the door, but before she could take another step, she felt embraced by Luke's presence.

"He's alive, Leia," he told her quietly. "I'm sure of it."

The Princess struggled to brush off his comment, but was able to hold a straight face. His words would bother her until she knew for sure, but for now, she did all that she could to remain in her position as a Rebel officer and appear strong.

When the doors slid open in front of her, chatter ceased and all eyes turned to the Princess and Jedi Skywalker. Leia felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. Had someone alerted the fleet of her struggles with Han?

"Princess," Mon Mothma greeted from the back of the crowd. When she approached, Leia saw that her long white robes hung just above the floor, making her seem taller than usual. "The Rebellion is terribly sorry for your loss."

Leia felt like turning and walking out, but decided it would be best to assure the Commander that she could still function properly without worrying about Han. She held her head high and disregarded the comments.

"Luke has shared some news with me that I think is important to all of us," the Princess told not just Mon Mothma, but the entire group gathered around the room.

"We will discuss it after you both get settled," she agreed, dipping her head in a small acceptance. "For now, please allow me to show you to your bunks. Then, we will start to plan our next move," she told the two. "With help from you both, of course," she added before leading the two back into the awful, silver corridors.


	3. Chapter II

**A/N: Please read and review! It helps me better my writing for future chapters and stories.**

 **Also, if you're new to my story, take a look at my other Star Wars fiction, titled 'Episode IV S : The Rebel Retreat'. :)**

* * *

II

Mon showed Luke and Leia to their bunk rooms, just as she had every time they relocated back to base. The two knew their rooms well and would be able to find them on their own, but they sensed Mon wanted to talk about more than sleeping arrangements. She held her head high around the rest of the Rebellion, but with Luke, Leia, and the rest of their party, Mon was more of a friend. She had always been a friend to the Princess.

"I'm sure you know where to go from here," Mon told the two as she motioned down the hallway towards the four bunk rooms that normally would house Leia, Luke, Han, and Chewbacca, respectively. Han and Chewie always requested to be located near the docking bays, and Luke and Leia simply thought it made more sense to stick together, especially after they decided to take on the second Death Star. Leia was only resentful that she wasn't able to complete the mission against the Empire just yet.

"Yes, thank you," Leia replied, sounding more like a senator than ever. The kindness in her usual tone was replaced by a professional voice to mask her pain. It would be best to not bring up Han around anyone else, especially the Rebellion.

There was a paused as Luke smiled at their companion. Then, "Mon, I hope the Rebellion will not miss me if I go to finish my training with Master Yoda."

Mon looked sincere as she studied the boy. "Not at all, Commander Skywalker," she told him kindly. "We could use a trained Jedi to help us take on the Empire." She glanced at Leia. "After we get Captain Solo back, that is."

Leia forced a fake smile and shook her head at the ground. "That isn't necessary," she told Mon.

"Nonsense. Captain Solo is an important asset to this assault on the Empire."

For a moment, Leia felt embarrassed. She had assumed Mon had been mentioning Han so she knew of the plans to locate and rescue him. Her cheeks felt hot as she analyzed her mistake. Instead of playing on it further, she turned towards Luke and gave him a slight nod, trying to let him know that she needed to speak privately with her friend.

"I'll let you know of my departure plans in the morning," Luke promised Mon before turning into his room to the left of the end of the hall.

Leia gave him a thankful smile before he enclosed himself in his sleeping quarters. She knew he would understand.

"I'm sure you've had a rough day, as well, Princess," Mon told Leia. "Why don't you retire and we can speak in the morning after I meet with Luke."

 _Rest would be nice,_ Leia thought. But there was no time to rest. "Thank you, but a senator never sleeps."

"You're no longer a senator with the Rebellion, dear," Mon reminded her. "We need your skills elsewhere. You're a great leader, just like Solo."

Leia frowned. Of course she had to remind her of Han...again.

Mon must have caught her saddened look, for she continued to press about Han, instead of letting up. This was the Commander's way of proving her friendship with the Princess. She tried to get her to talk, to understand everything more fully.

Leia remained in her senator personality. "I appreciate your dedication, but the Rebellion can't afford to use its assets on just one pilot." As much as it pained her to say so, she knew she was right.

"Leia," Mon began, calling the Princess by her name. This was something she rarely did. "We will focus all units on bringing Captain Solo back."

"Thank you." Leia bowed her head slightly, accepting the offer. "But this is something Luke and I will handle on our own. I assure you we will not be in the way of the operations against the Empire."

"I never thought you would be."

"Lando and Chewbacca are already in route to locate Boba Fett's ship," Leia informed her friend and superior. "Now, we wait."

Mon nodded, then motioned towards the hallway. "Rest, Princess. We have much to sort through in the morning."

Leia thanked Mon once more before proceeding through the hallway and up to her doorway. For a moment, she paused. She took a deep breath before punching the buttons to open her bunk door. She didn't know if she could handle being alone, but she had to try. Carefully, she took her first steps into her bunk since before the relocation of the Rebellion base to the planet Hoth, back before she ever got involved with Captain Solo.

The room was cold; she didn't expect much else from space, so she was glad she was still wearing her thermal suit from the ice planet. Part of her longed to change, but the rest of her wanted to remain in that outfit longer. It still smelled like Han's ship after spending so much time with him on their way to Bespin. The bunk on the wall was tucked in neatly, the blanket folded precisely into a square at the end of the bed. A small pillow was set at the head of the mattress. It was one she had managed to hang on to from her days as a senator on Alderaan. The Rebellion had kept it for her while she went undercover with the Empire. That was back before she was captured on the Death Star by Darth Vader. Back before that dreadful man had stolen her home and her man.

Shaking her head, Leia let her braids loose. They had been wound tightly around her head since the last night on Hoth when Han had gone out to rescue Luke on his tauntaun. She ran her hand through her long hair once to get the knots out, then let it hang. She wanted to relax while she had time to rest, and if her hair was still set up like a senator's while she slept, she would have a headache for days.

For a moment, Leia focused on her breathing. She sat on the edge of her bunk and observed the wall. There was a small compartment along it to store her clothing for her stay on the Rebel space center. She didn't need much else.

The lights were voice operated; a droid unit would stand by for the other bunks, but for her sector of the rooms, Artoo would do just fine. Luke trusted him, and so did she. Plus, he would never fully be put to sleep unless Luke powered him down during the day. This was the best course of action, especially considering they needed a lookout for anyone up to no good, even on their own ship.

Leia studied the smooth floor next. She missed the feeling of her bare feet on something so polished. For a minute, she remembered her few relaxing nights on the _Millennium Falcon_ before they arrived at Cloud City. Though nothing major had happened with Han besides a kiss, she had made herself at home. She cursed him for acting so funny after that. It wasn't until Cloud City that he had decided to be protective of her. How had he come to love her that quickly if he didn't care for her before then? Or had it all been an act, since pretending not to care had worked so well for him on Hoth?

Carefully, Leia began to count seconds as they passed. She was trying her best to remain calm, but thinking about Han wouldn't allow her to easily do so. She needed something - anything - to keep her mind off of him.

Then, as if on cue, her door opened. Only a few people knew her key code, so she wasn't surprised when she saw who her visitor was. She didn't even make a motion to move off of her bed and greet him.

"Luke," she greeted, looking up at her friend. She tried her best to straighten up her face; she didn't need him to know she was upset.

"Are you okay?" he asked immediately.

Leia ruffled her eyebrows together in a concerned face. "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"I could feel you from across the hall," Luke told her. "Your silence screams louder than you think."

Leia smiled a half smile and shook her head. "You always have had a way of worrying about everything else before yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Your hand," she told him in a tone that asked if he was really that oblivious. "Shouldn't you be focused on trying to work that thing?"

"Oh," Luke muttered. Then, he held his arm up and flexed the robotic hand so the fingers clenched into a fist. "It's actually a lot easier than you'd think."

"Looks like you're a master of that, too," Leia complimented playfully.

Luke smiled, knowing what she was thinking. "I _have_ to go, Leia," he told her, kneeling down before her bunk so he could look at her while he talked to the Princess.

"I know," she whispered. Then, Luke looked almost pained. "Luke, what is it?" Leia begged.

He shook his head and looked at the floor beneath him briefly. "I can't tell you yet," he said sadly. "But when I complete my training with Yoda, you'll be the first to know."

"Luke, you're worrying me." It was true; Leia was so confused and hurt anymore that she assumed the worst out of his words.

He laughed and met her gaze again. "Stop it!" he jokingly ordered.

"Stop what?!"

Luke took his friend's hands in his own, feeling her with the help of the Force. He wanted to flood her with assurance, with promise, to let her know that she would soon feel okay again. He attempted to calm her, for he could sense the sorrow that she hid from him.

"I can feel when you're lying to me," he informed her.

Leia was insistent. "I'm not lying, I-"

"Even if I'm off on Dagobah, you radio me the second you hear anything from Lando and Chewie," the Jedi demanded.

Sighing, Leia finally stood up. "I'm fine, Luke, really."

"I know you're not. I knew the second you had decided that you loved him. The second that he kissed you, I felt both of your happiness through the Force. I always liked you, Leia, but Han makes you happy. You're both my friends. It's our job to bring him back. Now stop being so stubborn."

Flashing a smile, Leia decided to use her elusive sense of humor to attempt to show him she would be okay. "As the only Princess aboard this ship, I reserve my right to remain stubborn."

Luke stood up, taking her joke lightheartedly. "Don't forget to say goodbye before I leave tomorrow," he reminded her. Then, he returned to his bunk to rest before he left in the morning.


	4. Chapter III

**A/N: Please read and review so I know where to take things next!**

* * *

III

Leia woke late in the middle of the night unable to sleep. It was the first time she had been allowed time to rest since being caught on Cloud City. The _Millennium Falcon_ was home enough to provide her naps on their way to Bespin, but it wasn't the same as being back in her bunk on the Rebellion base, no matter how many times it relocated. She hadn't had time for a real sleep until now, under the horrible circumstances.

First it was just plain insomnia, but once she fell asleep, the nightmares started. Leia was trapped in strange dreams that she couldn't quite understand, but she knew their source. One had her stumbling through a dark, silver hallway, similar to how she viewed the frigate when she and Luke boarded. Another had an eerie red glow as she glimpsed Han's frozen face, forever looking as though he were in pain. She couldn't remember the last one, but it left her heart racing enough that it wasn't worth trying to go back to sleep. She had run on little sleep before, so it would be nothing new.

The Princess sat up in bed. Her bunk was hardly satisfying at this point, so she stretched, rubbed her eyes, and slowly got to her feet. Staying in bed staring at the ceiling would only make her feel more enclosed in the small room, so there was no way she was staying in the space until morning.

Leia stood in front of her door and waited for it to woosh open when it sensed her. She thought for that small moment about what she wanted to do; Luke would surely be sleeping, and the few soldiers still responsible for keeping up the core systems at this hour would be too busy monitoring their tracking screens to put up with her rambles. Plus, what would she talk about? No one was supposed to know about her situation with Han, anyway.

Slowly, Leia peeked her head around the corner of the door to her neighboring room. Chewie was supposed to be arguing with See-Threepio, like he usually did while the others slept; Wookies needed less sleep than humans, which was why Han valued him so much as a copilot. Instead, there was silence. The dark space housed a shut down Threepio, but tonight, he was helping the core in case someone got word from Lando and Chewie. Artoo, their other droid, was spending the night keeping watch in Luke's bunk.

The hallway was beginning to get too quiet for Leia, but it didn't make sense to go back to her bunk. She took a few steps towards Chewie's empty room, but stopped herself shortly after. What was the point? She would seek comfort in Chewbacca, but he wasn't around. Han had trusted him with her, and he left, too.

Leia squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists. Luke had always told her that anger would lead to the dark side, but she never thought that it would be about her. Right now, she was so angry that she wanted to hunt down Darth Vader herself. Suddenly, it made sense to her, though. If she stayed so angry, she would want to do horrible things to the Dark Lord, which would put her exactly in his place. She couldn't do that, for her sake, or for the Rebellion's name.

Frustrated, Leia sighed, then turned around to go back into her room. When she made it back to the doorway, she pinned in her code number and waited for the door to unlock so she could crash down onto her bunk again and wait for the others to wake. When it didn't budge, she reset the pad and pinned in the code again. Still, nothing. Frustrated, Leia slapped her palm against the wall and leaned her head against it as she pinned in the code for a third time. When the pad read and error message, she silently cursed the security system she insisted they had installed and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, she had an impulse for comfort. She turned away from her door and took a step towards the entrance of the room next to Luke's across the hall. The room was diagonal to hers, yet not too familiar. She regretted not spending more time in it when she had the chance.

When Leia reached the door, she paused. Not knowing the key code, she thought for a moment. What would the lock code possibly be? Then, it was easy. What did Han love the most? The _Falcon_. Carefully, she punched in 1300, remembering that the _Millennium Falcon_ was a YT-1300 freighter. Then, the doors slid open and allowed her access to the bunk.

To her surprise, Han kept his bunk fairly neat. Compared to the bunk on the _Falcon_ , which had clothes and ruffled sheets, this looked like a home straight off of Alderaan. Leia had to pause a moment to take it all in. The bunk had a blanket nicely folded on the end, just as hers had when she returned to it. The drawers under it were all closed except for one, which seemed to be stopped from completely closing by a pair of Han's pants.

She stepped in and the doors closed behind her. Not sure what to do first, Leia relied on her Princess traits and bent down to fix the drawer underneath Han's bunk; it would bother her until it was neat. When she opened it, she revealed two pairs of navy work pants, both lined with the Corellian military blood stripes, just like the ones Han was wearing when she met him. Under those was a brown pair with yellow stripes...the same ones he was wearing when she last saw him. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she folded all three pairs up again and tucked them in the drawer nicely so it would close cleanly.

Satisfied, Leia decided to try to get some sleep in the comfort of Han's bunk. The room slightly smelled like him still, which was as close as she would get to him for a while. Then, another idea hit her. The Princess opened the drawer next to Han's pant storage and found his slim cut, ivory shirts. Each one was different, but she sorted through them until she found one she was familiar with; his long sleeve v-neck that he wore under his vest the first time she saw him outside of the ridiculous Stormtrooper disguise he and Luke had rescued her in.

Leia changed out of her jumpsuit and into the white, long sleeved shirt. It smelled even more like Han, which she needed. Then, she traced a few fingers across the bottom seam of the hem on the shirt. She watched as her fingers softly ran over each stitch on her hip line. Each small stitch had touched Han, once, too. She wished for a moment that she had a stronger emotional connection to the shirt she stole from his wardrobe, but quickly realized it wouldn't have mattered. Yes, she had liked him for his good looks from the first sight of him, but never had he opened up to her until they were already nearing the hands of Lord Vader.

Leia laid down on Han's bunk, not bothering covering herself with his blanket. She laid her face on it, instead, and didn't bother draping her legs onto the mattress. It was meant to be a quick stay in her mind, but Leia knew she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. For all she cared, she would deem Han's bunk her own until he was brought back safe and sound. And even after that, she wouldn't want to have to leave him again. Her eyes closed and she began to steady her breathing in attempt to finally fall into a decent sleep; it was a trick her mother used to teach her on Alderaan.

Sleep wasn't what came, however. Instead, she carefully pictured the boyish features of Han's face when he threatened to leave the Rebellion on Hoth. His smoothly shaved jaw line and his soft eyes always gave him away as a good person, despite his bad boy attitude. She remembered him pointing at her face and the silly anger he held as he frowned and furrowed his eyebrows together. His mouth made him look like he was pouting, which was slightly appealing to her. She knew she would have kissed him right there if he had stayed in her face a moment longer, but instead, he had stalked off and yelled "you could use a good kiss" over his shoulder at her. Had they spent less time bantering, maybe they could have perfected that kissing thing. Instead, Leia only had two kisses to go off of right now: the one on the _Falcon_ and the one on Bespin.

 _Bespin_. The instant Leia thought about that awful place, tears welled up in her closed eyes again. She fought to stop her sadness so she wouldn't cave in, but it was no use. Instantly, she was back at the carbonite pit, witnessing the distress of those same soft eyes as they turned glossy and pained. If she never kissed him in the first place, then maybe he wouldn't have felt so bad about having to leave her. Hell, maybe he would still be alive, somewhere off in the outer rim with Chewie on the _Falcon_ , far away from any danger that came with caring for the former Princess and Senator of Alderaan.

Then, Leia made a decision. She would bring Han back, but then, that was it. No more involvement with the smuggler. No more trips with the Corellian, even to help the Rebels. Not even another escape with the thief, if it came to it. She would much rather die somewhere she didn't know alone than have to be the source of Han's pain any longer. It would kill her, but it was the best solution she could come up with. She would stay in his bunk until she could find him, to linger on what happiness he had brought her in such a short amount of time, but after that, she would break it off with Solo.

* * *

A tired Luke Skywalker observed chaos as he entered the main control room of the frigate unit. Warning lights flashed from all screens bordering the inside of the core space, and messages were being broadcast along the main speaker system, which reached only the docking bay, medical wing, and core command center of the Rebellion base so far.

Stumbling people pushed past Luke, racing back and forth to draw up units to send out into the ship's halls. Luke was as confused as he had ever been; he hadn't felt a disturbance in the Force from his bunk, and he knew he would if the Empire had found their whereabouts again. He could feel his father especially well now, knowing that there was some sort of family tie between them.

Then, Luke was able to seek out Mon Mothma, who was standing in front of the central controls with Threepio, awaiting a message to be broadcast once more over the communication units throughout the ship.

"Mon!" Luke called across the panic, waving his hand through the air to capture her attention. Her worried face met his when she finally turned to him, which only probed more questions. "What's happening?" he asked, still not feeling any change in the Force. "Is it the Empire? Have they tracked us down?"

"Oh, Master Luke, it's horrible!" Threepio cried, shoving himself into the conversation.

Mothma shook her head, ignoring the droid. "The Princess," she told him. "She's gone."

"Gone?" Luke repeated, shocked. "That's impossible."

"She wasn't in her bunk this morning, and none of our units have seen her aboard the ship since I initiated a search for her."

"But I felt her presence from my bunk," Luke said, trying to assure Mon that Leia was safe.

She frowned. "I was sure we hadn't picked up any scouts from the Empire, but with all these new freedom fighters joining the Rebellion, it's hard to keep track."

Luke sensed that the Commander was blaming herself for Leia's strange disappearance. Taking initiative and deciding that his trip could wait a few more hours, he forced a sincere smile and placed a hand on his light saber at his hip.

"Let me search the ship for her, first," he begged his superior. "I reached out to her from Bespin through the Force and it worked. Maybe it will work here, too."

Mon studied Luke for a moment, then agreed. "I'll cease the search units, for now. Please locate the Princess. She's important for our mission to destroy the Empire before it's too late."


	5. Chapter IV

**A/N: Please read and review!**

 **I took a break due to writers block to start a third Star Wars fic, 'Secrets of Endor', which focusing on Han and Leia in the deleted scenes of Return of the Jedi. If you like their relationship, and ONLY their relationship, take a read. I am so thankful for the wonderful reviews it has gotten so far!**

 **That being said, I'm sorry this is short. I've had a long day but wanted to get something out there for you. The story line finally came to me, so I'm ready to write more!**

* * *

IV

Thankfully for Luke, Mon Mothma had granted him the front of the search parties for Princess Leia. Although the rest of the Alliance had been in a panic after the leader announced they could not locate the Princess, Luke wasn't worried. He felt Leia's presence somewhere in the frigate – she wasn't far.

The first day didn't go so well. No one had spotted Leia. The second day seemed more promising. She felt closer than before to Luke.

Skywalker made his way down the corridors of the Star Base, backtracking to the four bunk rooms his group was housed in – her presence was strongest when he was there.

Ducking into her space, he found nothing. Closing his eyes, the young Jedi Knight attempted to focus on her core. He pictured the Princess in his mind – nothing. Surely she hadn't learned to grasp the ways of a Jedi, so she couldn't mask where she hid.

Her bunk looked clean, as though it hadn't been slept in. The blanket was ruffled, but refolded neatly. Leia clearly hadn't gone through her drawers, either. The room looked untouched except for the pressed pillow.

Suddenly, Luke felt a small tug from the hallway. Something was calling to him. Something was telling him to look elsewhere. Leia was close.

When Luke stepped into the hallway, a figure stood at the doorway next to his own bunk. A woman's figure, young, with her hair tucked tight under what looked like an old Imperial Naval unit's helmet, punched a code into the bunk. Han's bunk.

Luke used his Jedi abilities to focus on her heartbeat. "You don't want to do that," he called calmly, trying to will her not to go into his lost friend's room.

She froze.

Luke tried again. "Who are you?"

Skywalker detected a strong presence from her, similar to Leia's, but she looked nothing like the Princess. Something was off. This girl wasn't as hopeful or balanced as Leia was. She was quiet and fragile.

Judging by her dress, Luke would swear the girl was from Corellia. Her pants bore the similar infamous blood stripes that Solo wore. They were blue, like the ones he wore when he took on the Death Star with Luke and Leia. She had a beige shirt on top, which looked too big on her, but leaving it tucked into her pants allowed it to fit her form a little better. No shoes – the girl was obviously from the Alliance. Had Han been seeing someone other than Leia?

"You do not want to go in there," Luke tried one last time.

But the girl wasn't weak minded.

 _Leia_. Luke was relieved as she turned to face him. But how hadn't he known?

"I thought you were leaving," Leia whispered.

Her face looked sunken, as though she hadn't slept in days, and her voice was raspy, probably from lack of fluids. It _had_ been about two days since he had last seen Leia.

While Skywalker responded, he tried desperately to reach out to her in his mind. There had to be a reason why he couldn't feel her today. Had something changed? Had he lost his Jedi abilities somehow?

"I've been searching for you." Luke was calm.

"Well, I'm right here," she retorted.

Luke looked at her in disapproval. "The entire Rebel Alliance has been searching for you, Leia," he told her. "Where have you been?"

She faked a smile and pushed the button to enter the code she punched into Han's lock. "You mean why couldn't you find me?"

"No."

Leia knew when Luke was lying. She had felt the connection between them in Cloud City, even if she hadn't fully explained it to her friend.

She turned to Han's room, ignoring the mess of his clothes she left lying about. It was unlike her to house such a mess, but she didn't even remotely resemble the Princess or Senator Luke used to know.

The Jedi followed her into the room, gazing around at the mess. He allowed the doors to shut behind her and watched as Leia took off her helmet and set it in one drawer beneath Han's bunk. He had never seen it before, but he understood. Solo was once an Imperial Naval pilot before he met him. It was why he became a smuggler. Why he was always on the run.

Then, Luke remembered how Leia had received his contact in Bespin. "You feel it, too, don't you?"

Leia stopped in her tracks, keeping her face hidden. "Feel what, Luke?"

"Han's alive."

Tears slowly came back to Leia's eyes, but she didn't let them take over. Luke had spoken the words she hadn't allowed herself to say out loud yet.

Luke continued. "He's out there, Leia. They'll find him."

She turned her head to the side, but kept her body facing away from the Jedi Knight. "I know this isn't my place, Luke," she began.

Skywalker stopped her, internally pressing his calm core to hers though the small space. "You love him."

Leia forced herself to ignore the statement, no matter how accurate it was. She decided to sit on the edge of the bed and let her hair down – she wouldn't be leaving again any time soon, especially if the entire fleet had been searching for her.

"You'd be surprised the places Han used to hang out when he wanted to hide from me on Hoth," she told Luke. "I picked up a few tricks."

Luke studied her. She appeared to not want to say more, so he didn't press. He reached out, hoping to touch on what was in her mind. Briefly, he was able to glimpse the ships the frigate had on deck. Had she been taking time off in the maintenance wing? Solo could have taught her how he fixed up the _Falcon_. Maybe he had been practicing her own skills in an attempt to stay close to the smuggler. She was obviously doing all that she could to hold on to him right now.

Pushing the images aside, Luke focused on his mission. He had to report her to Mon Mothma before the Alliance began to worry too much…if they hadn't already.

For a second, Skywalker felt a wave of anxiety come off of the Princess. Then, a second of hopelessness, and then her poise returned.

Flustered, Luke reached out to Leia again. He felt nothing now. Nothing since she let him feel her doubtful sorrow. Then, it hit him. She had learned to mask her feelings. Whether she did it intentionally or not, Leia had developed her skills past connecting with Luke to pushing him out.

Her head snapped up as though she read his thoughts.

"I can train you, Leia," he offered sincerely, showing he wanted nothing more than to help her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Luke, my place is here. I'm not a Jedi."

"You can be," he pressed.

She shook her head, but Luke didn't accept her dismissal. "You're empty, Leia." He read her easily. "You're doubting you'll see him again, but I know that isn't true."

"How? How do you possibly know that?"

"The Force, Leia," Luke told her.

"I told you, _I'm no Jedi_ ," Leia snapped.

"The Force is strong with you, too," he assured her. "You heard me in Bespin. You came back for me. And you can feel him, too."

"Han's _gone_ , Luke," she yelled at him, silencing his argument.

Skywalker kept his lips pressed together. Leia immediately showed her soft side, for she let her shoulders sink and her face flushed right in front of him as she sat on the bunk.

She looked down at her – Han's – clothes, and tugged the shirt out from her – Han's – pants. Frustrated, she let her eyes fill with water again as anger heating up her blood.

"He's gone," she repeated, still fussing with the shirt. She tugged and tugged, becoming violent with it, until finally, it was loose. She settled down, then looked up at Luke, embarrassed. "He's gone."

Luke felt unsure of what to do, but decided a hug for her was best. They were close, and he couldn't let her sit there, hurt. He sat next to her on the bunk and pulled her into a friendly embrace, trying to calm her in ways outside of the Force.

She wept into his chest, something she rarely did in front of anyone else. Not even when Alderaan was destroyed did she cry. She waited until she was alone in her cell on the Death Star to do that, just as she waited until she was alone in Han's bunk two days prior.

"He's coming back, Leia," Luke whispered, closing his eyes to try to read her again. A wave of sadness washed over him, becoming too much to bare, so he gave up. "He's coming back."

He would promise it, even if it meant staying to find him himself.


	6. AN

**A/N: So sorry I haven't posted lately! I have so many ideas to get into writing and I'll bring that here soon!**

 **I've been really busy starting a new job and moving into a new apartment. I haven't had much time to write lately, which saddens me.**

 **I started a Star Wars Instagram in the mean time, if you'd like to follow me. The account posts behind the scenes photos of all three trilogies. starwarsonset**

 **See you soon!**


End file.
